Ski, snowboard expo — Patrons prepare for winter festivities

FORT CARSON, Colo. — Tia Miller, right, and other customers line up to pay for items purchased at the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Outdoor Recreation ofﬁce’s annual ski and snowboard expo Nov. 3, 2018, at The Hub. (Photo by Walt Johnson)

By Walt Johnson

Mountaineer staff

The Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (DFMWR) Outdoor Recreation ofﬁce hosted its annual ski and snowboard expo Saturday at The Hub. The event was designed to help Soldiers and their Families prepare for the upcoming ski season and to let people meet various vendors to make their outdoor recreation activities the best possible.

The event started at The Hub with the DFMWR Sweaty Sweater Fun Run in chilly, wintery weather. Enthusiastic runners didn’t let the chill dampen their spirits as one runner after another smiled or raised their arms enthusiastically as they crossed the finish line.

After the run, the activities moved inside The Hub where the ski and snowboard expo took place. With the winter recreation season quickly approaching, people are starting to prepare by purchasing necessary equipment to take advantage of the Colorado snow and ski season.

That is what brought Sarah Mueller and her friend, Meaghan Picardo, to the expo. Mueller has been in Colorado for the past three years and credits the expo with helping her get ready to experience snowboarding.

“I’m a snowboarder and when we got here a couple years ago, we wanted to go snowboarding, and we came to the expo and got all the snowboarding equipment we needed at a great price,” Mueller said.

“So I thought it would be a good idea for my friend (Picardo) to come here and get the equipment she needs to go skiing.”

Picardo said she is not new to skiing and came to the expo because she was looking to get equipment, so she and her family could take advantage of the outdoor skiing and snowboarding.

“This will be the first time we have the opportunity to go skiing in Colorado. I probably have gone skiing about 10 times in my life. I like the speed and the things involved in skiing,” Picardo said. “It means a lot to me to be able to come here and get equipment like this because I’m always looking for (a) good deal on good equipment, and this will help us enjoy outdoor activities in Colorado.”

FORT CARSON, Colo. — Fort Carson Family members try on ski clothes at the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Outdoor Recreation ofﬁce’s annual ski and snowboard expo Nov. 3, 2018, at The Hub. (Photo by Walt Johnson)

Fiona Mosley and her Family recently moved to the Mountain Post and are excited to see what outdoor activities are available. Coming from the ocean waves crashing against the shore in Florida to the ski slopes of Colorado is something she and her family are looking forward to experiencing.

“What makes me want to go snowboarding is simply the fact that we are here in Colorado,” Mosley said. “I think we must take advantage of every opportunity we get here in Colorado to be outdoors, and one of those things is going snowboarding. My husband and my children and I are kind of motivated to do this after watching the Olympics and seeing those teenagers out there having a lot of fun. They were wearing smiles on their faces, and it seemed like a good experience, so we said we have got to try it.”